Discectomy at Apollo Hospitals, Lucknow

Why Patients Choose Apollo Hospitals Lucknow for Discectomy

• Part of one of Asia's largest healthcare groups ? the Apollo Hospitals group was founded in 1983 and today operates more than 70 hospitals with over 10,000 beds and more than 12,000 doctors across its network, giving the Lucknow unit access to group-wide clinical protocols and second opinions.
• Dedicated spine care under one roof ? neurosurgery, orthopaedic spine surgery, pain medicine, neurology, anaesthesia, radiology and physiotherapy work as a single team, so a patient with sciatica is assessed for whether surgery is genuinely needed rather than being pushed towards it.
• Consultant-led spine team with combined experience running into several decades ? the Lucknow spine and neurosurgery consultants are senior, fellowship-trained surgeons; the exact number of spine surgeons available on any given day and their individual profiles can be confirmed with the appointments desk.
• Technology for tubular and microscopic surgery ? operating microscopes, C-arm and image guidance, high-speed drills, tubular retractor systems for minimally invasive lumbar discectomy, on-site MRI and CT, and intraoperative neuromonitoring availability for selected cases.
• NABH-accredited multi-speciality facility with 24x7 emergency, modular operation theatres, ICU and HDU back-up ? important for older patients or those with diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease or cardiac disease undergoing spine surgery.
• Structured rehabilitation programmes for different groups ? desk-based professionals, manual workers and farmers, sportspersons returning to contact and load-bearing activity, older adults with degenerative spines, and the small number of adolescents who need disc surgery.
• Insurance and TPA desk on site for cashless processing with most major insurers and government schemes, plus support for patients travelling from Sitapur, Barabanki, Rae Bareli, Unnao, Kanpur, Hardoi, Gonda, Faizabad/Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Bahraich and Gorakhpur.
• Continuity of care ? the same team that operates reviews you at follow-up, and teleconsultation is available for out-of-town patients between visits.

Overview

Discectomy is a surgical procedure designed to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves caused by herniated or bulging discs. At Apollo Hospitals Lucknow, we aim to be among the better-equipped centres for discectomy in the region, offering current surgical technology and a team-based approach intended to support good patient outcomes. Our surgeons and allied medical professionals build a treatment plan around each patient's own symptoms, imaging, occupation and general health, rather than a single standard pathway. For patients in and around Lucknow looking for careful assessment before and after disc surgery, Apollo Hospitals Lucknow offers a full spine service in one place.

Why Discectomy is Necessary

Discectomy is usually considered when conservative treatments ? physical therapy, medication, activity modification or nerve root injections ? have not relieved symptoms caused by a disc pressing on a nerve. A herniated disc can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the arms or legs and can significantly reduce quality of life. By removing the fragment of disc that is compressing the nerve, discectomy relieves the mechanical cause of leg or arm pain in most suitable patients and often allows mobility to improve, though the extent and speed of improvement vary. The procedure is most often helpful for patients with:

• Severe radiating pain down the arm or leg that has not settled with non-surgical care
• Loss of sensation or progressive weakness in a limb
• Difficulty performing daily activities because of nerve pain
• Bladder or bowel disturbance with saddle numbness, which is an emergency and needs urgent surgery

At Apollo Hospitals Lucknow, the team uses microscopic and minimally invasive techniques where appropriate, with the aim of performing surgery safely and precisely. Importantly, discectomy treats nerve compression symptoms; it is not a treatment for isolated low back pain without nerve involvement.

Risks of Delay

Delaying surgery when it is clearly indicated can carry consequences. Long-standing severe nerve compression may be associated with persistent pain, ongoing numbness or weakness that does not fully recover even after decompression, and reduced function in the affected limb. Chronic pain also commonly affects sleep, mood and work, and can contribute to anxiety and low mood, which in turn make rehabilitation harder. Cauda equina syndrome ? new difficulty passing urine, loss of bowel control, or numbness around the genitals and inner thighs ? requires emergency assessment within hours, not days. At Apollo Hospitals Lucknow, urgent spine presentations are triaged through the 24x7 emergency service.

It is equally honest to say that many disc herniations improve on their own over six to twelve weeks. Delay is a risk in specific situations ? progressive weakness, unbearable pain, or cauda equina features ? rather than in every case.

Benefits of Discectomy

• Pain relief: the main goal is to relieve leg or arm pain caused by nerve compression, which for most appropriately selected patients improves substantially and often quickly.
• Improved mobility: many patients find walking distance and flexibility improve as nerve irritation settles.
• Better quality of life: addressing the cause of nerve pain often improves sleep, mood and ability to work.
• Reasonably quick recovery: with current techniques, many patients are mobilised the same day and discharged within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the case.
• Minimally invasive options: microdiscectomy and tubular techniques use a small incision, spare muscle and generally reduce postoperative discomfort and scarring.

Outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Back pain may persist even when leg pain resolves, and a proportion of patients experience recurrent herniation. Choosing Apollo Hospitals Lucknow means being told realistically what surgery can and cannot achieve in your particular case.

Preparation and Recovery

Preparation for Surgery

• Consultation: a detailed assessment with a spine specialist covering symptoms, examination findings, MRI, medical history and treatment options.
• Preoperative instructions: follow the surgeon's and anaesthetist's advice on fasting, and on stopping or adjusting blood thinners, diabetes medicines and other drugs.
• Arrange transportation: because anaesthesia is used, arrange for someone to accompany you home.
• Plan for recovery: set up a comfortable space at home with easy access to a toilet, water and medicines.

Recovery After Surgery

• Follow-up appointments: attend all reviews so wound healing and nerve recovery can be monitored.
• Physical therapy: begin the prescribed exercise and core-strengthening programme as advised.
• Pain management: take prescribed medication as directed and report pain that is not settling.
• Gradual return to activities: resume activity in stages, avoiding heavy lifting, twisting and strenuous exercise until cleared.
• Stay hydrated and nourished: a balanced, protein-adequate diet and good hydration support healing; avoid constipation and stop smoking or tobacco use.

The team at Apollo Hospitals Lucknow supports patients through each stage of preparation and rehabilitation, including telephone or video review for those who live outside the city.

What Current Guidance Says

Recommendations for lumbar disc herniation are broadly consistent across Indian and international guidance:

• The North American Spine Society Evidence-Based Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation with Radiculopathy (2012, reaffirmed and in continued use, with 2024 NASS coverage recommendations for lumbar discectomy) supports MRI as the imaging test of choice and discectomy for carefully selected patients with radiculopathy who have not responded to non-operative care, noting that surgery gives faster relief while long-term outcomes narrow between groups.
• NICE guideline NG59 (Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s, published 2016, last updated 2020) recommends against imaging in non-specialist settings for uncomplicated low back pain, promotes exercise and self-management first, and reserves decompression surgery for sciatica when non-surgical treatment has not improved pain or function and radiological findings match the symptoms.
• The Association of Spine Surgeons of India (ASSI) and the Neurological Society of India (NSI) emphasise correlating imaging with clinical findings, a trial of conservative care of about six weeks in the absence of red flags, and urgent surgery for cauda equina syndrome or progressive motor weakness. ASSI-linked Indian consensus work has also stressed that minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques should be chosen for clinical indication and surgeon experience, not novelty alone.
• A change worth noting: endoscopic (full-endoscopic) lumbar discectomy has moved from experimental to accepted in recent years for suitable single-level herniations, with several health systems and payers now recognising it, while routine postoperative bracing and prolonged bed rest have been dropped from modern practice in favour of early mobilisation.

Whether these apply to you depends on your MRI, your neurological examination and how long your symptoms have lasted. Your surgeon at Apollo Hospitals Lucknow will explain the reasoning in your case.

Timing of Surgery and the Pre-Procedure Phase

Timing falls into three broad situations:

• Emergency (same day): cauda equina syndrome, or rapidly worsening foot drop or leg weakness.
• Early planned (within days to a few weeks): severe, disabling radicular pain not controlled by medication, or established but non-progressive weakness.
• Elective (after six to twelve weeks of structured conservative care): persistent sciatica with matching MRI findings, where quality of life remains poor.

The pre-procedure phase usually includes blood tests, blood sugar and HbA1c, ECG and chest imaging where relevant, an anaesthesia fitness review, a fresh or recent MRI, and a physiotherapy briefing so you already know the log-roll technique for getting out of bed before surgery. Dental infections, urinary infections and uncontrolled diabetes are treated first, as they raise infection risk. Smoking and tobacco cessation is strongly advised, as tobacco is linked to poorer disc and wound healing.

Technique Options Compared

Procedures Sometimes Performed at the Same Time

• Laminotomy or foraminotomy ? a small amount of bone is trimmed to widen the nerve's exit and reach the disc fragment safely.
• Decompressive laminectomy ? added when spinal canal stenosis coexists with the herniation, common in older patients.
• Spinal fusion or instrumentation ? considered only when there is instability, spondylolisthesis, recurrent herniation with a very degenerate disc, or when a large part of the disc must be removed.
• Annular repair or barrier devices ? occasionally used to reduce recurrence risk in large annular defects; the evidence is still developing.
• Intraoperative neuromonitoring ? used in selected cervical or complex cases.
• Epidural steroid or local anaesthetic application ? sometimes used at the end of surgery to reduce nerve root inflammation.

Any likely additional step is discussed and consented for before surgery.

Phase-by-Phase Recovery Timeline

Recovery in older patients, in those with diabetes, and after multi-level or revision surgery is typically slower.

Criteria for Returning to Work, Driving and Sport

Timelines are less useful than readiness criteria. Return is generally considered when:

• The wound is fully healed with no discharge or gaping.
• Pain is controlled without strong opioid medication.
• You can walk for 30 minutes continuously without a flare of leg pain.
• Trunk and hip strength has been objectively reassessed by the physiotherapist.
• You can turn your head and body freely and brake sharply ? a specific requirement before driving or riding a two-wheeler on Lucknow's roads.
• For sport: full painless range, symmetrical single-leg strength, and completion of a graded running or loading programme. Contact sports, competitive weightlifting, kabaddi and wrestling are usually deferred until at least three to six months, with individual clearance.

Preventing Recurrence ? Practical Advice for Indian Homes

Recurrent herniation at the same level occurs in a minority of patients, and the reported range in the literature is roughly 5 to 15 per cent over several years. Risk is higher with obesity, smoking, diabetes, heavy manual work and a large annular defect. Practical steps that matter in Indian daily life:

• Deep squatting ? avoid full squats in the first six to eight weeks. Afterwards, squatting is usually acceptable if the back stays neutral; those with stiff hips or ankles should use a low stool instead.
• Indian-style toilets ? use a Western commode or a commode chair over the squat pan for at least six weeks. A raised seat and grab bar help older patients. Keep stools soft to avoid straining.
• Sitting cross-legged on the floor ? postpone for six to eight weeks; when you resume, sit against a wall with a cushion under the hips rather than slumping forward.
• Floor sleeping ? a firm mattress on a cot is easier in the early weeks. If you sleep on the floor, use a 2 to 3 inch mattress and always get up by log-rolling onto your side first. Very hard floors with a thin sheet are best avoided initially.
• Household and field work ? no lifting water buckets, gas cylinders, sacks of grain or wet laundry; no drawing water from a hand pump; no mopping in a bent-forward posture for at least six weeks. Use a long-handled mop and a wheeled bucket afterwards.
• Two-wheeler travel ? pillion riding on rough roads transmits jolts to the spine and is usually restricted for six weeks or more.
• Long-term habits ? daily walking, a consistent core programme, weight control, treating diabetes properly, and complete tobacco cessation.

Children, Adolescents and Older Adults

Children and adolescents

Disc herniation is uncommon under 18 and is often linked to sports loading, heavy school bags or a slipped apophyseal ring fragment. Conservative care is tried first in most cases, and imaging findings must be interpreted carefully. When surgery is needed, tissue-sparing techniques are preferred and parents are counselled about growth, sport and long-term disc health. Adolescents are managed with paediatric anaesthesia support and a parent-inclusive rehabilitation plan.

Older adults

In patients over 65, herniation frequently coexists with canal stenosis, facet arthritis and osteoporosis, so the operation may need to be a decompression rather than a simple discectomy. Preoperative optimisation of blood pressure, sugars, kidney function, anaemia and cardiac status matters more than the surgery itself. Delirium prevention, fall prevention, bone health assessment and early mobilisation are part of routine care, and rehabilitation is planned around home layout and available family support.

If You Choose Not to Have Surgery

Declining surgery is a legitimate choice in most non-emergency situations, and it is respected here. What generally follows:

• Many herniations reduce in size over weeks to months, and pain improves without an operation.
• Structured physiotherapy, neuropathic pain medication and, in selected cases, a transforaminal epidural steroid injection can control symptoms while healing occurs.
• Some patients are left with residual leg pain, patchy numbness or reduced walking tolerance.
• Long-standing severe compression can leave permanent weakness such as a foot drop; the longer significant weakness persists, the less predictable the recovery.
• You should return promptly if weakness worsens, pain becomes unmanageable, or bladder or bowel control changes.

Non-surgical care is monitored care, not abandonment ? a review schedule is set so that the decision can be revisited.

What Affects the Cost of Discectomy

No single figure applies to every patient. Apollo Hospitals Lucknow provides a written estimate after consultation and investigations; please confirm all charges with the reception, billing or insurance desk. The factors below explain why estimates differ:

Insurance, Cashless Treatment and Paperwork in India

• Discectomy is normally covered by indemnity health insurance as an inpatient surgical procedure when it is medically indicated and documented. Day-care and short-stay endoscopic procedures are usually payable too, but confirm the wording with your insurer.
• Cashless treatment requires pre-authorisation. For planned surgery, submit documents ideally 3 to 7 days ahead; for emergencies, intimation is generally required within 24 hours. The insurance desk at the hospital coordinates with your insurer or TPA.
• Documents to carry: policy copy and card, government photo ID (Aadhaar or PAN), previous prescriptions, MRI films and reports, discharge summaries of past admissions, and the employer or HR letter for corporate policies.
• Waiting periods matter. Most policies have a 30-day initial waiting period, and many list disc disorders, slipped disc and spine surgery under a specific waiting period of 24 to 48 months. Pre-existing disease waiting periods, capped at 36 months under IRDAI's 2024 health insurance master circular, may also apply. Check your policy schedule carefully.
• Accident versus planned cover: a herniation following a documented road accident or fall is often payable earlier under accidental injury benefit, since accident cover generally has no disease waiting period. Keep the FIR, MLC or emergency record.
• Government and scheme patients: eligibility under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS, state schemes or railway panels depends on hospital empanelment for the specific package. Please verify current empanelment status with the insurance desk before admission.
• Likely non-payables: some consumables, dietary items, attendant charges, and room rent above your eligible category. Ask for the non-payable list in advance.
• Reimbursement route: if cashless is not available, keep all original bills, the discharge summary, investigation reports and implant stickers, and file the claim within your insurer's stipulated period.

Planning Your Admission and What to Bring

• All MRI films and reports, previous X-rays, prescriptions and blood reports
• A current list of medicines, including blood thinners, diabetes drugs, ayurvedic or homeopathic remedies and supplements
• Photo ID, insurance card, policy papers and the pre-authorisation letter if issued
• Loose, front-opening clothing, slip-on footwear and comfortable inner wear
• Toiletries, a mug, spectacles or hearing aids, and phone chargers
• One responsible attendant; large family groups are best rotated, as ward attendant policy is limited
• Arrange in advance at home: a commode or commode chair, a firm bed, a bedside water jug, and someone to help with bathing for the first week
• Follow the fasting instructions exactly, and confirm with the anaesthetist which morning medicines you should still take with a sip of water

Warning Signs That Need Prompt Review

Contact the hospital or attend the emergency department if you notice:

• New or worsening weakness in a leg, foot or arm
• Difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness around the genital area
• Fever with increasing back pain, or wound redness, swelling, pus or foul smell
• Clear watery leakage from the wound, or severe headache on sitting up
• Return of severe leg pain after an initially good recovery
• Calf pain, swelling, chest pain or breathlessness
• Pain not controlled despite prescribed medication

For Patients Travelling from Outside Lucknow

Apollo Hospitals Lucknow regularly sees spine patients from Sitapur, Hardoi, Barabanki, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Kanpur, Ayodhya/Faizabad, Sultanpur, Gonda, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Basti, Gorakhpur and Pratapgarh, as well as from Nepal border districts. Suggestions to reduce the number of trips:

• Send existing MRI reports for a teleconsultation first, so unnecessary travel is avoided.
• Where possible, cluster the consultation, investigations and anaesthesia fitness review into one visit.
• Carry the actual MRI films or a DICOM CD, not only the printed report.
• Plan to stay near the hospital for a few days after discharge if your journey home is long or on rough roads.
• For the return journey, sit reclined with lumbar support and stop every hour to stand and walk; avoid a long two-wheeler ride.
• Ask the physiotherapy team for a written home exercise plan and, if needed, referral guidance to a physiotherapist in your own town.
• Follow-up reviews can often be done by video consultation, with in-person visits reserved for key milestones.

Contact and Appointments

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the risks associated with discectomy?

Discectomy is generally safe, but potential risks include infection, bleeding, dural tear or CSF leak, nerve injury, and recurrence of the disc herniation. The surgical team at Apollo Hospitals Lucknow follows standard precautions to reduce these risks, and every risk relevant to your case is explained during consent.

How long does the discectomy procedure take?

Most single-level discectomies take about 1 to 2 hours of surgical time, plus time for anaesthesia and recovery. Complex, multi-level or revision procedures take longer.

When can I return to normal activities after discectomy?

Light activity and walking usually begin within a few days, seated work often around two to four weeks, and heavier or strenuous activity commonly between six weeks and three months. Your surgeon will give guidance based on your job, your surgery and your progress.

How do I schedule a consultation for discectomy?

Call 1860-500-1066, use the online booking route on the Apollo Hospitals Lucknow website, or book through Apollo 24|7. Carrying your MRI films to the first visit makes the consultation far more useful.

What makes Apollo Hospitals Lucknow a trusted choice for discectomy?

The unit combines an experienced spine and neurosurgery team, microscopic and minimally invasive capability, on-site imaging, ICU back-up and in-house rehabilitation, all within the wider Apollo group's clinical governance framework. Decisions are made case by case, including the decision not to operate when surgery is not indicated.

Will my back pain also go away, or only the leg pain?

Discectomy is primarily an operation for nerve pain radiating into the leg or arm, and that is what usually improves most. Background back pain from disc degeneration may persist to some extent, and this should be discussed honestly before surgery.

Can I sit cross-legged on the floor and use an